


Rage

by glitter_glitch



Series: Rage - Alternate Versions [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Gets a Hug, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Anakin Skywalker has anger issues, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Anakin Skywalker, Bittersweet Ending, Canon Divergence - Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Clone Wars, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Force Choking (Star Wars), Gen, Guilt, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Karma is a Bitch, Obi-Wan Kenobi Gets a Hug, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Plot Twists, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, References to Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Revenge, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23768509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitter_glitch/pseuds/glitter_glitch
Summary: The criminal's eyes widened in terror as an invisible hand closed around his throat and lifted him in the air. He completely panicked, clawing at his throat, shaking his head, gasping for breath. His face began to turn purple. His lips were moving, as if trying to beg for his pathetic life, but no sound came out.A part of Anakin was enjoying it. And yet there was another part of his mind that was crying and begging him to stop. Telling him that if he did this, there would be no way back. It tried to make him think of Obi-Wan. He wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want Anakin to kill an unarmed man.~AU. Anakin gives into his rage, again. But this time, there are horrific consequences that can never be undone. Things get DARK.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Series: Rage - Alternate Versions [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812424
Comments: 27
Kudos: 148





	1. Rage

_"An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind."_

_\- M. K. Gandhi_

* * *

The planet's surface was rocky and barren, completely devoid of color and life. A thick layer of mist swirled above the ground.

Anakin Skywalker sprinted across the desolate landscape, heart pounding, lightsaber ready. White-hot rage boiled in his blood. The enemy, the insane murderer he had chased across half of the galaxy, was finally close, hiding somewhere in the mist. This was Anakin's last chance to catch him.

Anakin's blood froze in his veins as that creep suddenly appeared in the mist right in front of him. Just standing there, staring at him creepily. Then he drew his blaster and started firing.

Anakin barely had time to ignite his lightsaber and deflect the wild flurry of shots. And then something inside him just broke.

With a scream of fury, he launched himself forward and tackled the enemy. They both slammed to the ground, hard. Anakin managed to grab the enemy's wrist with his robotic hand and _squeeze,_ as hard as he could. The man screamed in pain and dropped the blaster. Anakin instinctively threw it away, out of reach of them both. As the weapon bounced off of the rocky ground, it fired a stun bolt into the air.

Why set it to stun? The implications of that made Anakin's blood run cold. What was that lunatic planning to _do_ to him? Kidnap and torture him too? If so, he was in for a nasty surprise.

The fight was brutal. Both opponents were throwing punches, grappling, grunting, rolling on the ground. That bastard was faster than Anakin had expected. One of his punches slipped past Anakin's block and hit the side of his head, almost hard enough to knock him out. Anakin's ears rang and black dots appeared in his vision.

But Anakin was stronger. And angry. Angrier than he'd ever been before. He lifted his left hand to protect his head and kept punching blindly with the other, hitting the enemy wherever he could. All thoughts about the mission were gone. His lightsaber was somewhere on the ground nearby, but he had completely forgotten about it. All that mattered was to hurt the enemy as much as he could.

His opponent was losing. He was beginning to panic and Anakin noticed it. It felt good.

But then he managed to grab a fistful of Anakin's hair with his uninjured hand and yank as hard as he could. This time it was Anakin who howled in pain. The enemy threw Anakin off of him and took off running.

"COWARD!" Anakin screamed after him, pushing himself to his feet. "COME BACK HERE AND FIGHT, YOU FILTH!"

Anakin wasn't a great runner; especially now, with his head still ringing from that punch. But he had one thing his opponent didn't. The Force. He yanked the enemy backwards, slamming him into a nearby rock wall. His skull hit the wall with a satisfyingly sickening crack. Before he could run again, Anakin grabbed him by his vest and slammed him against the wall again. And again. And again, one more time. This time, he put all of his strength into it.

The enemy screamed and collapsed to his knees, dazed, and gasping for breath.

Anakin stood over him, panting and shaking.

The fight was over. He won. Now he only needed to cuff the bastard and deliver him to Coruscant. That's what he was supposed to do. But...

This was personal.

The criminal's eyes widened in terror as an invisible hand closed around his throat and lifted him in the air. He completely panicked, clawing at his throat, shaking his head, gasping for breath. His face began to turn purple. His lips were moving, as if trying to beg for his pathetic life, but no sound came out.

A part of Anakin was enjoying it. In a horrible, twisted, very satisfying way. And yet there was another part of his mind that was crying and begging him to stop. Telling him that if he did this, there would be no way back. The Darkness would consume him. It tried to make him think of Obi-Wan. He wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want Anakin to kill an unarmed man, no matter what. But not even the thought of his former Master could cool his burning hatred.

He squeezed harder, as hard as he could. The enemy gasped, his body convulsed a couple times and then went very still.

Anakin let the corpse drop to the ground.

The dead man's half-open eyes were staring at him. Accusing. Anakin quickly turned away.

He had expected to feel relief, or at least grim satisfaction, but it wasn't coming. The anger slowly dissipated, leaving behind only shame and guilt. What would Obi-Wan think of him now? He wouldn't have wanted this.

Anakin had to quickly blink back tears and swallow the lump in his throat. It no longer mattered what his Master would have wanted. Obi-Wan was dead. Murdered in cold blood by that monster. His bones were resting in the cold dark crypts deep under the Jedi Temple.

The Force whispered a warning, and Anakin turned around just as two more bounty hunters appeared. They froze, looking first at Anakin, then at the corpse of their dead colleague at his feet. Their eyes widened with fear. And then they turned and ran back towards their ship as fast as they could.

Before Anakin could give chase, another figure burst out of the mist. It was Ahsoka, winded and panting, her lightsabers ignited.

A small gasp escaped her mouth as she noticed the corpse at Anakin's feet. A look of shock and disgust flashed across her face, only for a second, but Anakin noticed it anyway. But there was no time to dwell on it now. They still had a mission to complete. They had to stop Cad Bane and Morallo Eval before they reached their ship. The Chancellor's life depended on it.

Anakin picked up his lightsaber from the ground and cast a last hateful look at the lifeless body of Rako Hardeen.

Then he turned and left without looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait. Was that…? Did he just…?  
> Oh yes.  
> In case things seem confusing, I recommend watching the Clone Wars episodes "Deception" and "Friends and Enemies" ;)  
> This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but I decided to add a few more chapters. About the aftermath of... well, what just happened :D


	2. Revelation

Anakin and Ahsoka caught Cad Bane and Morallo Eval at the last possible moment, mere meters from their ship. They didn't put up much of a fight. As Ahsoka confiscated their weapons and Anakin cuffed their hands behind their backs, fear was obvious in their eyes. They had seen what he was capable of.

The bounty hunter's ship turned out to be mostly undamaged despite the crash. Anakin and Ahsoka locked the bounty hunters in the cargo hold and prepared to take off. As Anakin sat down in the pilot's seat, his comlink started ringing.

It was Master Windu. Talking about some kind of a plan, in a very urgent voice. Something about going undercover. About faking death.

Words couldn't describe Anakin's horror as the pieces slowly started fitting together. How fast the Council found the murderer on Coruscant, in the cantina. How they never really said _how_ they found him. The blaster that was inexplicably set to stun. The unexpected speed and skill with which the enemy fought. The way he looked at Anakin with horror and fear, shaking his head, trying to say something, as Anakin killed him.

No. No, no, no… it was impossible.

The comlink fell out of Anakin's numb fingers and clattered to the floor. His ears were ringing. The whole situation felt surreal, like a bad dream. Ahsoka was staring at him, her eyes wide. He dimly remembered telling her to stay on the ship and guard the prisoners, in a voice that didn't sound like his own. He remembered stumbling out of the ship and running back to that place.

No, it couldn't be true. It was impossible. Please, he begged the Force. Please…

Soon, he arrived at that place again. The man he had killed was lying on the ground, eyes half-open, staring at the sky.

Out of some desperate, impossible hope, Anakin knelt down and gently pressed two trembling fingers against the man's neck. But it was no use. He was gone. His body was already cold.

No. This was impossible. It couldn't be. Obi-Wan had died days ago. Anakin was _there_ , he saw it with his own eyes. He was the one who held his still body in his trembling arms, quietly pleading for him to wake up. He was the one who gently picked him up and carried him to the waiting ambulance, desperately trying to blink back tears but failing.

This was all a horrible misunderstanding, it had to be. That man… he didn't look or sound anything like his Master. His mannerisms were different, too. No disguise could be that perfect.

Anakin could prove it. He knew Obi-Wan had a scar on his arm, from the same battle where Anakin lost his right hand. He could prove Master Windu was wrong, right now.

His hands were shaking even more now. It took him several attempts to remove the man's left glove and roll up his sleeve.

A wordless, horrible scream escaped from his throat. It didn't even sound human, such was the pain and horror in it.

Master Windu was right. It was true. It was all true.

"I'm sorry…" Anakin whispered. One of his trembling hands reached out and gently touched his Obi-Wan's pale face.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" he whispered, over and over. But it was too late now. It couldn't change what he's done. Nothing could. He could only kneel on the cold rocky ground, cradling his Master's still body in his arms, as hot tears rolled down his face and his sobs echoed across the desolate land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please R&R! :)
> 
> Next chapter: There will be a time skip, all the way to ROTS. Which goes... differently.


	3. Aftermath

_**One year later.** _

* * *

Anakin Skywalker found himself floating in eternal darkness.

Where was he? What had happened? Slowly, his memories came back to him, one by one.

_Chancellor Palpatine revealing himself as Darth Sidious. Tempting him with the Dark Side. Telling him about an secret Sith ritual, which could bring people back to life._ _But he was lying_ _, Anakin could feel it. He_ _refused._ _He would never join the Dark Side._

_A brutal fight, blue lightsaber against red. Sidious was winning. Swatting all of Anakin's attacks aside like annoying flies._

_How could it be happening? How could Sidious be so powerful?_ _Was the Prophecy wrong after all?_

_Sidious was pushing him back, effortlessly, all the way to the landing pad where his shuttle was waiting._

_Did any other Jedi sense this happening? Was anyone coming to help? It didn't matter. They would never get there in time._

_Sidious threw him backwards and boarded his shuttle. Its powerful engines roared into life._

_Where was he going? What was he planning to do? Anakin didn't know. All he knew is that he couldn't allow it to happen._

_He could do only one thing. He ignited his lightsaber and threw it with all his strength, right into the ship's central engine._

_For an endless second, nothing happened. The shuttle slowly lifted off into the night sky._

_Then it disappeared in blinding, earth-shattering explosion. The last thing Anakin saw was a wall of fire coming towards him._

_And then… darkness._

* * *

The darkness slowly receded and turned to light. Warm, blinding light, forcing him to shut his eyes tightly.

When he finally managed to open them, he found himself standing in a sunlit meadow. Looking around, he saw a crystal clear lake, a lush green forest, tall mountains covered in snow. The place reminded him of Naboo a bit, but it was wilder. More beautiful, too, in a strange, otherworldly way. And empty. There were no people or buildings. Just him.

So he was dead, then. That much was clear. Somehow, Anakin wasn't as surprised as he should be. In his heart, he'd always known that he would have to die to fulfill the Prophecy.

And this was… heaven? Hell? It was hard to tell just yet. Even Jedi didn't know what came after death.

His right hand felt… strange. Different. But in a good way. With surprise and delight, he realized why. His hand was back. The real one, made of flesh and bone. Anakin moved his fingers around, clenched his fist, stretched his fingers again. His mechanical hand had been a crude machine, offering only the most basic of sensations. He was able to wield his lightsaber, pilot a ship or pick up a glass without crushing it, but that was it. There was no sensation of rough and smooth, soft and hard. No warmth or cold. No pain.

He brushed his fingers against the soft blades of grass. A rock on the ground, warm from the sun. The rough fabric of his tunic. The smooth, cool hilt of his lightsaber. His face.

Wait…

He touched his face again, under his right eye. And above his eyebrow. The skin under his fingers was soft and smooth. His scar was gone.

Was this... heaven, then? It would seem so. The otherworldly beauty of this place. The way his body was whole again.

He didn't _deserve_ to be in heaven. Not... not after… He shuddered as a wave of horrifying memories assaulted him. It had been over a year, but the memories of that day were still as vivid and clear as if it had just happened yesterday. They would always be.

A lot had happened in that year. The plot to kidnap the Chancellor had failed (but no thanks to him). It was Master Windu and his clones who stopped the five bounty hunters sent to kidnap him. And Dooku never even showed up.

It took Anakin months before he could look Ahsoka in the eyes again. She said she didn't blame him for what happened (but he could see the truth in her eyes). He wanted nothing more than leave the Order and fly as far away as he could, but he forced himself to stay (Ahsoka didn't deserve to pay for his mistakes).

She left the Order anyway, mere months later, after the Council expelled and abandoned her over a crime she didn't commit (but he knew he was a part of the reason, too).

Padme had left, too, after he had become distant and withdrawn (he didn't blame her).

The Council granted him the rank of Master after he killed Grievous (it took him several days and a chase across multiple planets, after Grievous managed to run away from him twice. Obi-Wan would have done a much better job).

But the war still continued. Dooku refused to give up so easily. One battle after another; countless of his men killed, innocents massacred, cities burned to the ground. Victories and losses, death and destruction.

Until that day when Darth Sidious made his first but fatal mistake. And then he ended up here.

* * *

Anakin spent the next few hours wandering around, exploring this strange place. It was beautiful, but… this couldn't be it, could it? This couldn't be all there was to the afterlife. There had to be something more. A door. A person. Anything.

But after hours and hours of walking, he had to admit defeat. There was nothing. Only meadows and forests and mountains, as far as the eye could see. Beautiful but empty. Stretching in all directions.

This place was not heaven, he was beginning to realize. It was hell.

* * *

The night was falling, and he was exhausted and hungry. Which was strange; it wasn't like he needed to eat or sleep anymore. But his brain was just used to these things, he supposed. And he had nothing better to do, anyway.

He managed to catch a nice large fish in the nearby lake (all you really needed was a lightsaber and a good aim), find a good spot in a forest clearing and start a fire (all you really needed was a lightsaber and some dry wood. And some rocks, so you didn't set the entire forest on fire. Which made him wonder about what would happen if he did accidentally set it on fire. He couldn't die again, right? But he wasn't exactly willing to find out).

While the fish was cooking, he built a primitive shelter out of sticks, leaves and dirt. Just like Obi-Wan had taught him many years ago, when he was his Padawan.

Obi-Wan...

Was he… was he here, too? Was that why the Force trapped Anakin here? Did he need to apologize for what he's done before he could move on?

No, he begged the Force. Please. You couldn't have picked a crueler punishment. He couldn't face Obi-Wan. Ever again. He just couldn't.

What was he even supposed to say? I'm sorry? I'm sorry I broke your hand and brutally murdered you in the most painful way I could? There were some things that were just… unforgivable. That could never be made right again.

* * *

Anakin woke up with a start, unsure of what woke him up. He looked around, one hand on his lightsaber. The forest around him was dark and silent. His fire was dead. The sky was still dark, but a strip of purple on the horizon signified the approaching dawn.

A figure was standing on the other side of the clearing. Anakin's heart stopped.

He couldn't see the figure's face, it was too dark for that, but he immediately knew who it was.

"Anakin…" Obi-Wan said quietly. His voice was exactly the same as Anakin remembered. Soft and gentle, with a hint of sadness. And something else, too.

Anakin stood up, shaking. He wanted more than anything to say something, to apologize. To see his Master's face one more time. But... he couldn't do this. He couldn't face him again. Not after what he's done. He couldn't, he couldn't, he couldn't.

Anakin turned and ran. As fast and far away as he could. He could hear Obi-Wan's voice shouting his name, and perhaps the words _please, wait_ , but he was already too far away to be sure. He kept running, tearing blindly through the dark forest, tripping on rocks and roots and dead branches, bitter tears stinging in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please R&R!


	4. The Arch

Anakin ran and ran until the last bit of his strength left him. He collapsed to the grass-covered ground, gasping for breath, unable to keep running any longer. His face was wet with tears. He wiped them off quickly. The sun was already high in the sky. He must have been running for hours.

 _Oh, you kriffing coward_ , Anakin cursed himself. _Coward, coward, coward. And a murderer, too. You had one task, one single task, to apologize, and were too cowardly even for that._

Anakin looked around balefully, at the sunlit meadow, a dark deep forest, a lake clear as a diamond. It was as if this place itself was mocking him, too. He didn't _deserve_ to be surrounded by such beauty. He deserved to be trapped in a desert, scorched and desolate like Tattooine, to rot there for the rest of eternity. Or in the pits of hell, that would work too. _Maybe I could find some,_ Anakin mused darkly, _if I walked far enough_. After all, this place seemed to go on forever in all directions. If there were meadows, forests and mountains, perhaps there were some deserts or fiery pits, too.

Anakin buried his face in his hands, blinking back a few fresh tears that threatened to fall, and just sat there for a while, trying to catch his breath and waiting for a bit of his energy to return. He couldn't go back, not now. The only option was to keep walking.

After several minutes, he slowly started to become aware of something. A sensation in the back of his mind, very faint at first, then growing stronger. A place deep in the forest, towards the mountains. It was calling to him.

* * *

After hours of walking through the deep, dark forest, Anakin finally entered a large clearing. This was it; the place had been calling out to him. The clearing was lined with twelve ancient stone pillars, twice as tall as him. They were covered in moss and runes in a language he couldn't understand.

In the middle of the circle was a tall stone arch, intricately carved. It looked as ancient as the universe itself. And the opening in the middle of the arch… he couldn't see it. It wasn't opaque, it wasn't transparent, it wasn't any color or shape at all; it just… his eyes simply refused to make sense of it. But he could sense the answer in the Force. It was the exit. He knew it.

Anakin stared at the arch, amazed and confused at the same time. Did the Force grant him mercy after all? Could he just walk through it and move on to… wherever it led?

He could sense the answer. _Yes._

The arch was calling him. Beckoning him to walk through it. It was tempting, so tempting. Anakin made a slow, small step towards the arch, touching the cool, rough stone… and then pulled his hand back and stepped away from it.

_No._

_Never._

Obi-Wan didn't know about the exit. How could he? Anakin had only found it on accident, after just happening to run very, very far in the correct direction. If Anakin left without telling him, Obi-Wan would be trapped in this endless, empty place, completely alone, for a very long time. Maybe forever.

Failing to apologize was one thing, but doing something like _that_... No. Never.

He had to go back. To tell Obi-Wan about the exit, and to apologize. No matter how much he dreaded it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, the next chapter will be a lot longer.
> 
> Please R&R! :)


	5. Forgiveness

Well, there was just one tiny problem. Finding Obi-Wan in this endless place was going to be… interesting.

Anakin doubted that his former Master was still anywhere near the place where they briefly met, since he had no reason to think that Anakin would ever return there. By now, he could be anywhere. Once again, Anakin mentally kicked himself. Why did he have to run away like an idiot? Just why?

The sun was setting by now, the sky growing darker with each passing minute. There was no point in trying to search for Obi-Wan in the dark. Anakin would have to wait until the morning.

Anakin looked at a hill to the west, illuminated by the last rays of the settings sun. It seemed to be only about an hour of walking away. Most of the hill was covered by a thick forest, but its very top was clear, with only a few stunted trees scattered here and there. If he could climb it, and if Obi-Wan happened to light a fire… If he wasn't too far away, and if the weather was good, which it seemed to be for now… then maybe, just maybe, Anakin could see the glow of the fire in the distance. It was a lot of ifs, but it was better than doing nothing.

The hill turned out to be taller and much steeper than it seemed from the distance. The ground was covered in slippery leaves and small rocks, making progress extremely difficult. Anakin pressed on, holding his lightsaber high to light the way, at least a little bit. He had no way to know what time it was when he finally reached the pile of boulders on the top of the hill, but he estimated that it could be around midnight.

Anakin climbed the rocks, but very carefully, since it was dark and the rocks were wet and treacherous. Finally, he stood up on the top of the pile, scanning the horizon…

He almost had to laugh hysterically. In the time it took him to climb the hill, a thick fog had covered the surrounding countryside as far as he could see. Even if Obi-Wan did light a fire, Anakin would never see it.

This place _was_ mocking him, Anakin was practically sure of it now.

He had no choice now. He could do nothing but to wait until the dawn.

Anakin found some dry branches and made a fire, both for warmth and to signal his own position, although there wasn't much of a point in that. Even if Obi-Wan could somehow see his fire through the fog – which was extremely unlikely – Anakin doubted that he would try to come. Anakin had _murdered_ him. Why would he want to talk to Anakin ever again?

Anakin curled up next to the fire and tried his best to get some sleep. But after an hour, it was clear that it wasn't happening.

Since he was getting really hungry and had nothing better to do anyway, Anakin walked around until he spotted a nocturnal bird flying overhead. He killed it with a well-thrown rock, cooked it over the fire and ate it with his fingers. It didn't taste too great, but it was better than nothing.

After that, Anakin could do nothing but wait and stare at the crackling flames, as his shame and guilt threatened to eat him alive. Occasionally, he would stand up and survey the countryside around the hill, but it was no use. The fog was impenetrable.

* * *

Anakin woke up with a start. The sun was rising; it seemed that he did fall asleep after all. The fog was gone. Anakin stood up and scanned the horizon once again, slowly and carefully, but the sun was already too bright to spot a distant fire, even if there was one.

Anakin buried his face in his hands.

 _Help me,_ he begged the Force. _What do I do? Where do I go? Please…_

But the Force ignored him.

He had no choice but to walk back to where he had seen Obi-Wan last and start from there, searching the surrounding area in increasingly large circles. Of course, there was a solid chance that Obi-Wan had already moved on far away from that place, and that Anakin would never find him this way. Anakin could try to look for a fire again the next evening, but he doubted it would work. The Force trapped him in this place for a reason, to punish him. It wasn't going to be that easy.

With a sigh, Anakin got up and headed downhill, back the way he came. Getting to the hill took him an entire day and a part of the night, and he'd been running a part of the way. He had a long walk ahead of him.

* * *

While he was walking, Anakin tried to come up with something to say when… _if_ … he ever saw Obi-Wan again. After a few hours, he had to admit defeat. He couldn't come up with anything at all. What _could_ he even say? Any words he could possibly say would only sound laughably inadequate.

Anakin passed the arch around noon, trying to memorize the surrounding landmarks to make sure he could find it again later. By the time he reached the large lake, the sky was already pitch black again. He knew that the spot where he made his first camp – and where he saw Obi-Wan – a was somewhere near the lake, although he didn't quite know where. It didn't really matter, anyway. Obi-Wan was probably already far away from here.

Anakin stopped with a gasp and turned his head sharply to the left. He'd seen something, at the very edge of his vision. A flicker of light, just for a moment, so faint and distant that maybe he'd just imagined it-

Anakin deactivated his lightsaber so he could see better, but it didn't help. He couldn't see the light again. The darkness was impenetrable.

He started walking in the direction where he saw the flash. The thick forest made it very difficult to walk in a straight line. Anakin hoped he wasn't veering off too much.

And then he saw it again, straight ahead of him. The light was a bit brighter this time, and it didn't disappear. It was orange and flickering. It was a fire, he was sure of it now.

Anakin kept walking towards the light, heart pounding. A few minutes later, he reached a clearing in the forest.

_Oh, Force…_

Anakin recognized the place immediately. It was the clearing where he made camp, on his first night in this strange place. He could even see the remains of his makeshift shelter nearby. It had mostly disintegrated by now; apparently, he didn't construct it too well.

Obi-Wan was sitting by the fire, his face buried in his hands. He must have decided to wait here for a few days, just in case Anakin returned.

Obi-Wan lifted his head slowly. His expression was unreadable.

"You came back." He said in a quiet, surprised voice.

Anakin just stood there, frozen. _Well, go ahead, Skywalker,_ Anakin thought to himself. _Apologize. This is it. Your only chance._

But he had no idea what to say.

"I… I'm sorry." Anakin finally managed to say. "I'm so sorry… I can't…"

Suddenly, there was a lump in his throat, making it impossible to continue. His eyes were stinging and his vision became blurry, forcing him to blink hard. _No… don't you dare to start crying now, you worthless piece of shit,_ Anakin ordered himself. _Don't…_

A warm, gentle hand touched his shoulder.

"No." Obi-Wan said quietly. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me."

Anakin stared at him, stunned. What?

"Anakin, what happened… it wasn't your fault. It was mine. When I faked my death…I didn't really realize what I had done to you until Master Yoda told me about your reaction." Obi-Wan said. He shuddered. "He told me he'd never heard anyone scream like that before."

"No. You shouldn't forgive me, you can't. I… I _murdered_ you."

"I did something much worse to you."

Obi-Wan was silent for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was shaking a little. "Anakin, I'm going to tell you something I've never told another soul. I wanted to take the secret to my grave, but we both seem to be dead already, so… you know."

Anakin blinked in disbelief. How could he _joke_ about something like that?

Obi-Wan sighed heavily, and continued. "When I fought Maul, all those years ago… I didn't have to kill him. I had Qui-Gon's lightsaber. I could have just cut off his hand and the fight would've been over. But I didn't. I _wanted_ him to die for what he did to Qui-Gon. So… I understand why you did it. And if I was in your place… I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing."

He was silent for a while.

"Anakin, do you think we could try to just… forgive each other, and pretend the last year never happened?"

Anakin sighed. There was nothing in the whole galaxy he wanted more, but… no. It just wasn't possible.

"Master, I have forgiven you a long time ago. But I don't deserve your forgiveness. What I did, it's just… unforgivable."

For some very strange reason, Obi-Wan almost smiled. "You don't remember what old Yoda used to say about forgiveness, do you?"

"No."

"He said that forgiveness is not earned. It is given."

Obi-Wan held out his hand. A universal gesture of peace and forgiveness, as old as civilization itself. Anakin hesitated… and then he returned the gesture and squeezed his hand tightly.

And it almost felt like it broke some kind of a spell. As if some great weight lifted off of Anakin's shoulders. The stinging in his eyes returned with a vengeance. He blinked hard, trying to hold back the tears, but he was powerless to stop them from falling.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan's arms were wrapped around him, warm and comforting. "It's all right, Padawan. Everything's all right now."

For a long time, they just stood there. Obi-Wan was stroking Anakin's back comfortingly; Anakin was holding onto him like a drowning person, sobbing quietly, terrified to let go. "It's all right." Obi-Wan repeated, almost inaudibly.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened, as if he remembered something. "Oh, Force. I completely forgot to tell you. I'm so proud of you, Anakin."

"Proud? About _what_?"

"Killing Palpatine, of course."

"Oh… that. Thanks. Wait… how do you know about that?"

"Well, for the past year… a few times, it was almost like I could still see what was happening in the real world. I saw you kill him."

"Oh."

Suddenly, a horrifying idea came to Anakin's mind. "Wait. Were you… stuck in this place the whole time? For a _year_?"

"No." Obi-Wan said. He frowned, looking thoughtful and confused at the same time.

"I don't… really know where I was. It was all a bit confusing. Sometimes, I could see bits and pieces of what was happening in the galaxy, I think. But most of the time, I wasn't aware of anything at all. I don't know. It's hard to describe. But I definitely wasn't stuck here, if that's what you're worried about."

"Thank the Force." Anakin breathed out. And then _he_ remembered something, too. "Obi-Wan, I found the exit. In the forest, towards the mountains."

"An exit?" Obi-Wan said. He looked intrigued. "To where?"

"Well… I don't know."

"Hmm. We should definitely check it out, then."

"I agree. After all, this place…"

"…is only a stop, not the end of the journey." Obi-Wan finished for him. "I feel it, too. Well, I don't see any point in going anywhere in this darkness. Let's fix up that shelter of yours, try to get some sleep, and we'll set out in the morning. What do you think?"

Anakin smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, please R&R! :)


	6. Epilogue

The walk to the arch was long, but Anakin didn't mind. They moved at a leisurely pace, talking and enjoying the view. For the first time in over a year, Anakin realized that perhaps he was wrong after all. Maybe life could be good again once more. Well. Death. Whatever.

It felt almost like the place itself had changed, too. The hills suddenly felt a bit less steep, the ground less slippery.

As they walked, Anakin told Obi-Wan about everything that happened in the past year, and they both speculated on why they still felt the need to eat, drink and sleep. When Obi-Wan started wondering out loud if they could still get injured or die, Anakin just had to smile. It was good to know that he wasn't the _only_ one with the morbid curiosity.

After several hours of walking, they stopped to rest for a while, and to eat. They caught a large fish in a nearby stream, cooked it over a fire started with Anakin's lightsaber, and ate it with their fingers. It was delicious. After that, they set off again.

By the time they reached the clearing, the sky was completely dark, and the only light came from the stars and their lightsabers.

Obi-Wan examined the arch curiously, running his fingers along the intricate runes, but even he couldn't make anything of them.

"Where do you think it leads?"

"I have no idea." Anakin said. "I just hope it's not going to be… hell, or something."

"I don't think so. Listen to the Force. What is it telling you?"

Anakin listened to it. "That there's no danger."

"Well, then."

 _But I'm still afraid,_ Anakin thought, although he didn't say it aloud. He glanced at his former Master for reassurance, but Obi-Wan's expression wasn't very comforting. He looked as nervous as Anakin felt.

"You know," Obi-Wan said thoughtfully, "when I was a Padawan, Qui-Gon would sometimes spend his free time reading ancient legends about the Whills. He said that in the legends, the Whills found a way to manifest your consciousness in the real world even after death."

"You mean, like a ghost? And what the hell is a Whill?"

"Yes. Something like a ghost, or perhaps just a voice. But I don't think that anything ever came of it. It was just a legend. As for your second question…" Obi-Wan smiled ruefully. "I'm afraid that I have no idea what a Whill is. I never paid much attention when he talked about it."

There was a long, uneasy silence. They both stared at the arch.

"I think that we should just get it over with." Obi-Wan said. "Waiting will just make it worse."

Anakin had to agree. They both stepped in front of the arch. "On three?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "One." he said.

Anakin grabbed his hand. It was a pathetic, childish gesture, but he couldn't help it. He was terrified. And he wanted to make absolutely sure that whatever strange or terrifying place they ended up in… at least they would end up there together.

"Two." Anakin said. Obi-Wan gripped his hand tightly, almost to the point of pain. Anakin wasn't the only one who was afraid.

On three, they stepped into the light.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all of your kudos, comments and bookmarks!!
> 
> I also have an idea for an alternate version of this story, which diverges right after Chapter 2, karma bites Palps in the ass even harder than it does in this version, and it's just too much to play around with in my head. I'll do my best to write it eventually :)


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